MacBook Pro

Apple's portables have been stuck in a system bandwidth mire for years with …

The power of magnets

Finally, one of the newest and most innovative additions to the MacBook Pro is MagSafe, Apple's new power connector that attaches the power cord to the laptop. MagSafe uses magnets instead of the old circular plug that has been in use since the Titanium PowerBook. As any laptop user can attest, there are just times—usually several—in a laptop's lifetime in which people (particularly small, young ones [Editor's note: I can attest to that], but also drunken college roommates and the like) will be walking/running/dancing by. Large or small, they will snag a foot on your power cord [Editor's note: or use it to yank your laptop off the table], and suddenly you find yourself making a heroic dive in an attempt to save your laptop from its impending crash to the floor as it sails through the air in slow motion. MagSafe is supposed to be the answer to that, as it connects very easily (I mean, who doesn't like the feeling of sticking magnets together?) and also disconnects very easily in the event of an unfortunate almost-accident such as the one described above. Herein are my trials and tribulations regarding MagSafe.

I have personally experienced the "trip-on-the-cord-OMG-CRASHING-TO-THE-FLOOR" scenario several times in the past, and while scary, the notebook has always survived (perhaps with a dent or two). At first, like most experienced laptop owners, I was thrilled to hear about MagSafe. Finally, our laptops are safe from terrorists clumsy people! Like a true reviewer, I was determined to put MagSafe to the test and put my new MacBook Pro's livelihood at risk, for the sake of journalism of course.

Initial tests provided predictable results. While running or even just casually happening by and snagging the cord, MagSafe released the cord as expected and no one was hurt. Things were looking promising. And then we ran over it with a car... Oh sorry, wrong review.

However, MagSafe began to prove itself as slightly less and less useful as I continued to use my MacBook in the manner I like to use it best, which is not on a table or desk. I'm one of those lazy hippies who likes to do her power computing in bed or on the couch while watching the new season of American Idol, where I'm most comfortable getting down and dirty with some code or an article. This is when MagSafe began to rear its ugly head. The problem is, that being a magnet and therefore designed to disconnect easily in the event of an accident, it, well, disconnects easily. A little too easily. Placing the MacBook Pro on my lap caused the MagSafe to pop out as it touched my leg at a less than 90 degree angle. Five minutes later, after reconnecting the power, a cat came and laid next to me, plopping down on the power cord in a relaxing manner, causing MagSafe to disconnect once again. Frustrated, I laid on my side and pulled the laptop way over so that it was sitting flat on the bed and away from any legs or other living creatures lounging around. I thought I'd finally won, but 20 minutes later, I discovered that the MagSafe had once again become disconnected (by some method unknown to me) and had been for some time, as my battery was now down a fair amount. Bollocks!

Given these annoying experiences, I'm torn as to whether I actually "like" MagSafe or not. I like the idea of it, and I like the concept that my MacBook Pro will never have to experience what PowerBooks, iBooks, and other PC laptops of yonder past have had to go through in order to earn their battle wounds. A fellow Ars staffer reported to me that he was able to practically drag his coworker's MacBook Pro across the desk via the MagSafe power cord, and I confirmed the steadfastness of the MagSafe magnet when pulling straight outwards from the plug—it's pretty difficult to pull out in this manner. However, pulling at even the slightest angle, jerking, bumping, or anything really, the MagSafe comes out for pretty much anything. Personally, I'm not sure if the constant, accidental unplugging for the entire rest of the life of this laptop is worth the tradeoff for a couple of accidents here and there. You can judge for yourself; for me, it ultimately proved to be more irritating than pleasing.